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‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613946533380096 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Blake, Amber |
| author2 | Van Wyk, Ilana |
| author_browse | Blake, Amber Van Wyk, Ilana |
| author_facet | Van Wyk, Ilana Blake, Amber |
| author_sort | Blake, Amber |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131581 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:13.588Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131581 ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa Blake, Amber Van Wyk, Ilana Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology & Social Anthropology. Youth in church work -- South Africa Church work with children -- South Africa Identification (Religion) Pentacostalism -- South Africa Christianity and culture -- South Africa Christian life -- South Africa Christians -- Religious aspects -- South Africa Irreligion Christians -- Social aspects UCTD Christian surfers -- South Africa Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis, I examine the phenomenon of a group of Evangelical Christian youths in a small church in South Africa who did not profess their faith or disclose their Christian identity in contexts outside of church, contrary to the tenets of their Pentecostal faith- and of the Emerging Church to which they belonged. Using a phenomenological approach, I try to understand the subjective experiences of a group of ten young adult Christians who “closeted”their faith in their relationships with non-Christian friends and family members who did not share their beliefs. This at-home ethnography of Bay Surf Church (BSC) members over a two-year period unpacks the process through which once devoted members grappled with their “closeted” faith and gradually left the church. I show that my interlocutors “closeted” to avoid the stigmas associated with both conservative and liberal Christianity. Despite closeting, they remained committed to “sharing the gospel” through embodying and demonstrating their Christian values in social spaces that they imagined traditional Christians would be unable to enter. As the BSC grew in size, my interlocutors complained that their personal faith journeys and missiological expressions were stymied by an organisation that increasingly resembled traditional churches. Whereas the BSC was once known as laid-back church in which believers could practice their faith in their “own way”, and have personal relationships with the pastors, it gradually developed a clearer church hierarchy, with organising teams and established church locations that exercised more surveillance and control over the ways in which members expressed their faith. Seven of my interlocutors eventually left the church, but expressed deep yearning for the ‘lost’ BSC’s Young Adults group which had once embodied the very essence of the Emerging Church philosophy. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis ondersoek ek die verskynsel van 'n groep Evangelies-Christelike jeugdiges in 'n klein kerkie in Suid-Afrika wat nie hul geloof bely het of hul Christelike identiteit in kontekste buite die kerk bekend gemaak het nie, teenstrydig met die beginsels van hul Pinkstergeloofen van die “Emerging Church” waaraan hulle behoort het. Deur 'n fenomenologiese benadering te gebruik, probeer ek om die subjektiewe ervarings van 'n groep van tien jong Christene te verstaan wat hul geloof “verberg” het in hul verhoudings met nie-Christelike vriende en familielede wat nie hul oortuigings gedeel het nie. Hierdie tuis-etnografie van lede van Bayside Surf Church (BSC) dek 'n tydperk van twee jaar en verduidelik die proses waardeur eens toegewyde lede met hul "verborge" geloof geworstel het en geleidelik die kerk verlaat het. Ek wys dat my gespreksgenote hulle geloof “verberg" het om die stigmas te vermy wat met beide konserwatiewe en liberale Christendom geassosieer word. Ten spyte van die besluit, het hulle toegewyd gebly om "die evangelie te deel" deur hul Christelike waardes te beliggaam en te demonstreer in sosiale ruimtes wat hulle gedink het tradisionele Christene nie sou kon betree nie. Soos die BSC in omvang gegroei het, het my gespreksgenote gekla dat hul persoonlike geloofsreise en missiologiese uitdrukkings beteuel is deur 'n organisasie wat toenemend soos tradisionele kerke gelyk het. Waar die BSC vroeër bekend gestaan het as 'n rustige kerk waarin gelowiges hul geloof op hul "eie manier" kon beoefen en persoonlike verhoudings met die leraars kon hê, het dit geleidelik 'n duideliker kerkhiërargie ontwikkel, met organiseringsspanne en gevestigde kerklokale wat meer toesig en beheer oor die lidmate se geloofsuitdrukking uitgevoer het. Sewe van my gespreksgenote het uiteindelik die kerk verlaat, maar het 'n diep verlange uitgespreek na die 'verlore' BSC se Jong Volwassenes-groep wat eens die kern van die Emerging Church-filosofie beliggaam het. Masters 2025-01-28T07:56:14Z 2025-01-28T07:56:14Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131581 en Stellenbosch University 107 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Youth in church work -- South Africa Church work with children -- South Africa Identification (Religion) Pentacostalism -- South Africa Christianity and culture -- South Africa Christian life -- South Africa Christians -- Religious aspects -- South Africa Irreligion Christians -- Social aspects UCTD Christian surfers -- South Africa Blake, Amber ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title | ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title_full | ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title_short | ‘Closet Christians’ : a phenomenological study of Christian youth in a small town in South Africa |
| title_sort | closet christians a phenomenological study of christian youth in a small town in south africa |
| topic | Youth in church work -- South Africa Church work with children -- South Africa Identification (Religion) Pentacostalism -- South Africa Christianity and culture -- South Africa Christian life -- South Africa Christians -- Religious aspects -- South Africa Irreligion Christians -- Social aspects UCTD Christian surfers -- South Africa |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131581 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT blakeamber closetchristiansaphenomenologicalstudyofchristianyouthinasmalltowninsouthafrica |